1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hand-operated implement, which is so structured as to enable a metal cap to be easily removed from a container of plastics material which compose the drinking-bottles used in animal breeding departments for small laboratory animals, such as mice, Guinea pigs, or other animals.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Heretofore, the separation of the two parts which constitute the drinking-bottle, in order to allow the latter to be filled, is manually carried out by the animal breeding departement operators.
Although this operation may seem an extremely simple one, in practice the separation is often cumbersome, or complicated, in that both parts are firmly sticking to each other. The sticking is the result of several contributing factors, such as an excessive stress previously applied by the operator during the last assembly of the two components of the drinking-bottle, or a misalignment thereof, the presence of solid residues deposited on the container neck deriving from the evaporation of the liquid contents of the container, wear of the container neck, and other factors.
Due to these reasons, in order to remove the metal cap from the container of the drinking-bottle, the operator must resort to improper means, such as pliers and pincers, or he must exert leverage on the tube of the metal cap, which may result in a deformation of the metal cap, and/or in a breakage of the container, the integrity of the drinking-bottle being hence compromised, its functionality being endangered, and the replacement thereof with a new drinking-bottle becoming necessary.